The Seattle Mariners have signed Japanese left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to a four-year contract, the American League team announced Wednesday.

Kikuchi, 27, was posted to Major League Baseball on Dec. 3 by the Seibu Lions of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league after the 2018 season. He was eligible to negotiate and sign with any MLB team.

"I am very happy that I was able to sign with the Seattle Mariners. My challenge continues at a new stage, but I will never forget what I've learned during my time with the Seibu Lions, and I will do my best so I can show people I can play an active role," he said in a statement released by the Japanese team.

The Mariners have traded several notable veterans this off season while building a roster with younger prospects. Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto said Kikuchi fits perfectly in his plans.

"Yusei's combination of character, talent, experience and relative age made him a primary target in our roster building plans," said Dipoto. "He is an exciting young pitcher with the ability to impact the Mariners, both in the present and future."

Kikuchi is the first Japanese player to be sent to the majors under the new posting system rules in effect since this postseason, whereby the Japanese team posting a player will receive a fee based on an agreed percentage of the value of the contract, bonuses and incentives.

According to MLB.com, Kikuchi signed for an initial three years plus a player option in 2022, which can be replaced by an additional four-year guarantee totaling a seven-year stint overall.

He will be the latest Japanese addition to the American League club, which has had at least one Japanese player on their roster every year since 1998, including Ichiro Suzuki, Hisashi Iwakuma, Kenji Jojima, Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Kazuhiro Sasaki.

This season, Kikuchi helped Seibu finish with the best record in the Pacific League in Nippon Professional Baseball when he went 14-4 and struck out 153 batters over 163-2/3 innings.

He has a career record of 73 wins, 46 losses and one save with a 2.77 ERA.

The Mariners will open their 2019 season against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome in March.